Month: January 2021

Eating healthy while traveling is hard. It’s not only hard because you want to try some of the local delicacies, but sometimes it’s just easier to eat at a Mcdonald’s. This is fine if it happens once in awhile, but if you are an avid traveler and end up going somewhere every other weekend, all this junk food adds up. It not only adds up in terms of your body weight but also extra expenses. Unless you are a Richie Rich, then it is definitely something to think about. Adding to this, you are also missing out on one amazing experience that somehow has escaped the effect of globalization. 

Book places with a kitchenette

The key tip is actually having some tools of the trade. A lot of apartments nowadays provide a fully equipped kitchenette. Make sure to book one that has a kitchenette on it. Check the reviews as well as many people are doing the same thing. 

Cooking in a kitchenette can be a bit “frightening” as you do not have a lot of things to work with, but that is why you will need to make easy recipes. 

The key ingredients that you need to have are salt and pepper packets from restaurants and small butter that you will usually find wherever you grab breakfast (or you can take them with you). With this, you will not need to get crazy on ingredients. 

Visit local supermarkets

Explore this amazing experience that somehow has escaped the effect of globalisation and that a lot of tourists are completely missing. Local supermarkets have local ingredients that you do not get in your hometown. If you explore them and buy a couple of new things, it will definitely add to the experience. 

Adding to this, a simple pasta does not take a lot of effort and is a hundred thousand times better than dinner at a Mcdonald’s from all perspectives except the one that you are craving Mcdonald’s. 

Pack leftovers

We all know that when we go somewhere to visit, you over-order and you overeat. This is fine and we are not judging. Everyone does it and everyone will definitely do it. One thing that we need to take care of is definitely getting those leftovers with us. You can warm them up and eat them later and this is an amazing idea if you just want to fuel up for breakfast the next day. 

Make your own coffee

Between traveling, exploring, and walking around, you will need coffee. We would recommend that your morning coffee with your breakfast at home should be done as well at home mainly because in Western Europe a simple Capuchino costs close to 5 Eur. Most of the places have water heaters, so just get some of the simple packets that cost cents in the supermarket and have coffee before you get out of the apartment. A simple Nescafe 3in1 will definitely do the trick and keep you fueled.

You can definitely enjoy some fancy barista coffee, but let’s keep those expenses down shall we?

 

Getting a Spanish non-lucrative visa means one thing and one thing only. You can financially support yourself without working in Spain. All this while having proper healthcare, you being healthy and do not have a police record.

This is literally one of the easiest visas and permits to get in Spain if you have the money.

Lets break down the key requirements:

You can support yourself and your family financially without working

The formula is simple and it is based on the IPREM monthly index. IPREM monthly index *12*400% + €6,454 for each family member on the application + additional buffer to round up.

So for the year 2020, the IPREM monthly index was €537,84, giving an IPREM of €6,454 for a year. Multiply 400% of the IPREM, so €25,816 in available cashflow. Round up and you will need €30,000 in available cashflow.

You have private Spanish health insurance

One of the key requirements is the capability to be covered by an insurance provider. You will need a private healthcare policy taken from a Spanish insurance company that will make you fully covered in Spain for the duration of your visa and as a key element it needs to be free of co-payments.

Almost all the insurance providers give this type of health insurance and it does cost a lot of money. Adding to that, most of the major providers in Spain for private insurance have great conditions and the service that you will get is amazing.

You are not suffering from any major health conditions

From your local doctor or hospital, you can get a simple medical certificate that basically states the status of your mental and physical health in addition to the lack of any contagious diseases. This is a fairly standard document which any institution would be able to provide. Keep in mind that this needs to be less than 3 months old and must be translated in Spanish.

For the translators, as these documents will be submitted in your local embassy, it is important to use the translators that are approved by them. This is a general approach as well so if there is a spanish embassy in your home country, there definitely are approved translators.

Do not have a criminal record

You local police department can provide you a document stating that you do not have a criminal record. This document is also very general and fairly well known. Some companies even require this once you first start working for them, so getting this should be fairly easy. Same as the document above it must be less than 3 months old and it must be translated in Spanish.

To be noted, any document that is issued by another government and will be used outside of the country, needs to be apostilled. Do not forget to apostille it before you send it to be translated. As always it is important to use the translators that are approved by your local Spanish embassy.

The application

The application process has the tendency to differ from one embassy to another so make sure to check in advance. But generally you will need

1. The documents above
2. Your passport with certified copies
3. Application form with copies
4. EX-01 Form filled
5. Tasas Extranjeria – Modelo impreso 790 form filled
6. The visa fees.

Good luck!